NEWS

​Fundación de Conservacion Jocotoco appoints Dr. Martin Schaefer as its new Executive Director

Fundación de Conservacion Jocotoco is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr Martin Schaefer as its new Executive Director and Rocio Merino as Managing Director.

Martin has studied birds in the Neotropics for more than 20 years. He has been an Associate Professor for Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Freiburg, Germany for the past 12 years and has held Honorary Faculty positions at the University of Florida, Gainesville and Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

​Martin first became involved with Jocotoco 13 years ago when he and his wife Veronika Schmidt spent 18 months in Buenaventura Reserve studying the endangered El Oro Parakeet. His work in Jocotoco’s reserves has included studying other globally threatened birds such as the Pale-headed Brushfinch and the El Oro Tapaculo. Martin’s research resulted in direct conservation actions which led to population increases of these species in our reserves.​Martin’s role at Jocotoco will be to lead Jocotoco in the expansion of its reserve system and in developing Jocotoco’s long-term institutional capacity to manage its reserves in perpetuity. Jocotoco is currently working with several private and government agencies to increase the ecological resilience of its reserves by anchoring them within a broader matrix of protected areas. “In 18 years Jocotoco has prevented the extinction of many species through the creation of its 11 reserves; now we need to ensure their long-term ecological viability and increase the influence of conservation in the areas surrounding our reserves. Having worked with our dedicated staff for over a decade and knowing the globally significant biological value of Jocotoco’s reserve system, I am thrilled to lead Jocotoco’s innovative team of conservationists in these efforts.”